


The Courage to pull away (there will be hell to pay)

by BatsAreFluffy



Series: Like tears in the rain [10]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Day 10: Trail of Blood, Dimension Travel, Gen, Hurt Bruce Wayne, Whumptober 2020, very open ended
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26943415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatsAreFluffy/pseuds/BatsAreFluffy
Summary: There was more blood. Not tremendous amounts, but smeared here and there, where the water hadn’t reached yet. A large smear on the mirror had been wiped at, and with condensation had started to run. A pile of towels was covered in tiny spots, drying into copper.Bruce was nowhere to be seen.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Trouble
Series: Like tears in the rain [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950151
Kudos: 41
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	The Courage to pull away (there will be hell to pay)

The grating under the dimensional portal was tacky. Superman hovered over the few steps, and followed the trail towards the showers. It had been one of those missions, then. The trail bypassed the main workbench, a few extra droplets caught on the workbench. Leaned on the sturdy surface then, to keep upright, Superman thought, noting the lack of armour pieces lying around. Either exhausted, or covered in something toxic.

The showers were running. The steam that escaped the room as Superman pulled the door open was thicker than London Fog. “Bruce?” he called, slipping inside. “Hey, B, you fall asleep in here?”

No one answered. He dropped his cape off on the bench, and walked around the privacy screen to the main showers.

There was more blood. Not tremendous amounts, but smeared here and there, where the water hadn’t reached yet. A large smear on the mirror had been wiped at, and with condensation had started to run. A pile of towels was covered in tiny spots, drying into copper.

Bruce was nowhere to be seen.

Doubling back, Clark reached out with his hearing, trying to locate the obviously injured man. Not in the showers, not in the decontamination area, and not in the car park. Clark pushed his hearing farther – had Bruce managed to get up to the manor without Clark hearing him?

No familiar heartbeat greeted him.

Everyone else’s heartbeats were there, sleeping or at least at rest. Tim was going to be exhausted for school tomorrow, but Clark knew that was Tim’s default state.

Moving quickly, he grabbed a clean vial and swab kit, and made his way back to the portal. B would have his head if someone else had made it through, and Clark had just assumed it was friend. The small pool in front of the portal itself was the freshest, by being the deepest and least contaminated. He knelt in the air beside the puddle, and took his samples, just as Bruce had shown him.

The hand print half way up the portal edge caught his attention. He screwed the lid on tightly, and floated over. He must have pulled himself through then. The smear was still slightly tacky. It was fresher than the others... as was another hand smear several inches higher. And the set above Clark’s head.

With a sinking feeling, Clark rushed back to the main computer screen, quickly accessing the main security feeds. Rewinding at high speed, he watched himself bolt around the cave, and waited for Bruce to show up. Seconds later, an hour by the timestamp, Bruce appeared in the footage – being dragged back towards the portal by a wounded, angry Diana. Rewinding further, Clark watched –

_Timestamp 02:45, October 10_

_Portal opens, green light emissions. Screaming can be heard over the sound recording – origin unknown._

_Batman, missing several pieces of armour down his left side, stumbles out of the portal. Drops to one knee as vortex collapsed behind him._

_Timestamp: 02:58, October 10_

_Batman makes his way towards the main area. Grey and White batsuit is dropped on workbench, floor surrounding it, and cowl hung on side of chair. Wounds visible – lacerations, several superficial burns, bruising consistent with three –four day old bruising. Approaches the showers._

_Timestamp: 03:14, October 10_

_Portal reopens. Diana, in simple Amazon armour, steps out. Hair shorter, no tiara present. Not-Diana walks to workbench, gathers armour, returns to portal. Armour, cowl tossed through portal once more._

_Timestamp: 03:47, October 10_

_Not-Diana pulls Bruce out of showers, wrapped in towels and lasso (not glowing). Drags toward portal against ground, back through blood trail. No sign of struggle._

_Timestamp: 03:59, October 10_

_Superman walks through portal, tells Diana, “Good job,” grabs Bruce by throat and lifts him up. Bruce struggles, backhanded and tosses back down steps. Diana retreats through. Bruce struggles to stand – lasso slipped. Tossed over Superman’s shoulder like a sack. Bruce grabs onto the portal itself, trying to slip free._

_Timestamp: 04:01, October 10_

_Superman tosses Bruce through, muffled scream can be heard. Superman destroys towels. Looks at camera (central). Speaks loudly, enunciating: “The Bat belongs to me. Take him, and I will destroy everything he holds dear, and make him watch.”_

_Timestamp: 05:28, October 10_

_Superman enters the batcave, calling for Bruce._

Clark closed his eyes, took several deep breaths.

And then reached for his communicator.

**Author's Note:**

> Might redo this one later. Not entirely chuffed.


End file.
